Listeriosis - what is it?

17 April, 2016

fairly common disease today considered listeriosis.What it is?It's no secret that this disease is very dangerous.But what is its cause?What are the main symptoms it is accompanied by?Are there effective treatments and prevention?Is it possible somehow to protect themselves?This information will be useful to everyone.

Listeriosis - what is it?

Listeriosis is an infectious disease.In medicine it is known under various names, including nevrellez, the disease of the Tigris River, and so listerellez. D. It should be noted that when this disease is an infection primarily affects the lymphatic system and nerve tissue.

first agent of the disease was described in 1911 by C. Halfesom.In 1926, scientists at Cambridge University (D. Murray led the study) were the first to identify the causative agent of tissue, pick up patients guinea pigs and rabbits.

already in 1927. At Piri suggested naming the newly discovered group of microorganisms Listeria (Listeria) in honor of the scientist D. Lister, who once studi

ed the nature of the disease in South Africa.Already in 1929 the pathogen was isolated from human tissue.

Brief description of the pathogen

Listeria - rod-shaped bacterium that belongs to the group of facultative anaerobes.It should be noted that this organism is resistant to the external environment.Listeria is able to multiply in water, in soil and on plants or the corpses of dead animals.These bacteria can easily tolerate freezing.Even under direct sunlight Listeria can retain the ability to ability to live for two weeks.

Way transmission

Of course, the issue of transmission of infection to date enough to date.As already mentioned, Listeria - quite resistant microorganisms that can survive outside the host for a long time.

So how do you get this disease?In fact, the path of transmission might be different - this aerosol and fecal-oral and transplacental.The source of the pathogen can be infected person, as the bacteria are excreted with the feces, saliva, semen and other body fluids.There's also the transmission of HIV from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

However, in most cases, the infection occurs in the use of meat or a sick animal waste products.In fact, animal listeriosis occurs often enough.The infection can fall into their body, even with water.Most susceptible to disease poultry and animals, while Listeria are often carriers of wild mammals (raccoons, rodents, foxes and ungulates), as well as fish.

On the other hand, infection with the human body may occur in the use of contaminated water or unwashed fresh fruits and vegetables.

there any risk?

Immediately it is worth noting that this infection is found in all countries of Europe and, of course, is quite common in other countries.In a normal healthy human body is not too sensitive to the variety of infection.Nevertheless, the risk group should include people working in the field of animal husbandry.

In addition, in this case, is crucial immune system.Listeriosis in humans with reduced resistance is diagnosed more often.For example, this kind of infection are more susceptible pregnant women, newborn babies and the elderly.Risk factors also include the presence of cancer, diabetes, or lesions of the excretory system.Some drugs that suppress the immune system can also increase susceptibility to Listeria.And at risk include immunocompromised patients.

way, immune to the infection also produced - one had been ill person can be infected again.

clinical picture and pathogenesis

Listeria enters the body through the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, at least - through the cracks in the skin.Hence the microorganisms with the bloodstream can spread throughout the body.In most cases, they are deposited in the lymph nodes, where they begin to actively proliferate, leading to the appearance of the inflammatory process.

way, Listeria can penetrate inside white blood cells, macrophages.Here they are masked by the immune system and become refractory to antibiotics.In areas of active growth of bacteria form the so-called listeriomy that are necrotic nodules.In some cases, extensive necrosis leads to the development of sepsis.Furthermore, Listeria often affect the nervous system that leads to dangerous consequences.

Listeriosis Symptoms in humans

How to determine the existence of such a disease?What changes in the body that should cause concern?Immediately it is worth noting that the incubation period lasts from 3 to 45 days, after which it begins to appear listeriosis.Symptoms in humans depend on exactly which organs are affected by bacteria.To date, there are several major forms of this disease.

anginal-septic form of medicine is considered to be the most common.In the initial stages of the clinical picture is similar to the regular angina.Redness and swelling of the throat.Patients complain of pain when swallowing.One can observe an increase in pain and the surrounding lymph nodes.In addition, there are, and the main symptoms of intoxication - fever (sometimes up to 40-41 degrees), headaches, fatigue, aching muscles, chills.In the absence of treatment may cause necrosis.And the infection can spread to the structure of the central nervous system.

considered extremely dangerous nerve listeriosis.Symptoms in this case resemble the clinical picture when meningitis, meningoencephalitis and abscesses.Meningitis is accompanied by severe headaches, vomiting, convulsions, delirium, rigidity of the neck muscles.When meningoencephalitis the patient has some other symptoms, including ptosis (drooping) and age anikozoriyu (mutilation of one of the dimensions of the pupils).

Newborns infected children often develop septic granulomatous listeriosis.Symptoms its diverse - a fever, pain, damage to the nervous system, paralysis, skin rash, and so on. D. Often, the infection affects not only nervous, but also respiratory and cardiovascular system.Frequent complication of this form of the disease is a purulent pleurisy and pneumonia.There

and eye-glandular disease that modern medicine is quite rare.Most often, this kind of disease develops in the direct contact with infected animals.The clinical picture in this case resembles purulent conjunctivitis.It is accompanied by inflammation of the mucous membrane disease eyes, swelling, redness and the appearance of copious purulent discharge.Often patients complain of severe itching, burning and even pain in the eyes.The distinctive features can include high fever and symptoms of toxicity, which normally are not expressed conjunctivitis.In addition, you may notice an increase in nearby lymph nodes.

In any case, listeriosis can diagnose a doctor.Therefore, the appearance of the first symptoms should seek professional help.

Modern methods of diagnosis

In fact, there are many diseases that resemble their symptoms of listeriosis.What is it and what are the rules for the differential diagnosis?For example, in some cases, the disease resembles an infectious mononucleosis or angina, and various viral respiratory infections.

history of the disease, of course, begins with a list of patient's presenting complaint.In the future, additional tests are conducted.In particular, during the laboratory testing of samples of blood can be seen a significant increase in the number of monocytes.A patient person depending on the presence of symptoms is carried fence mucus from the throat, nose and throat, conjunctival discharge, cerebrospinal fluid.In some cases a puncture of the lymph nodes.If you suspect listeriosis during pregnancy doctor may prescribe sampling and examination of samples of amniotic fluid or the placenta.

In laboratory carried out crop on fertile ground.This procedure makes it possible not only to determine the nature of the pathogen, but also the sensitivity to a particular medicinal product.

Serological analysis listeriosis is also quite accurate, but it may give false results.Further studies depend on the form of the disease.For example, if you suspect the presence of an abscess the patient is sent to the magnetic resonance imaging.Nervous form of listeriosis requires consultation of the neurologist and of the lumbar puncture and EEG of the brain.

How to treat listeriosis?

natural history of the disease is crucial for compiling the correct treatment regimen.So it looks like therapy for such diseases?

The first patient is prescribed antibiotics.Pretty effective antibiotics today are considered to erythromycin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol.Nevertheless, in some cases, the physician may select other drugs, since everything depends on the sensitivity of a bacterial strain to a particular substance.

addition, the patient is injected intravenously an isotonic sodium chloride solution and prescribed diuretics - it helps get rid of harmful waste products and eliminate the main symptoms of intoxication.

other methods of therapy depends on the type and severity of the disease.For example, with the defeat of the nervous system in patients administered benzylpenicillin.If the disease struck the eye, then its treatment using eye drops and sometimes anti-inflammatory corticosteroid ointment.

far as long-term therapy requires listeriosis?Treatment is carried out exclusively in a hospital - namely, in the infectious department.As a rule, the main symptoms of the disease disappear after 2-4 weeks.After that, the patient is required to be screened again - if the results of analyzes confirmed the absence of listeria, a person can be discharged.However, listeriosis has been ill for two years must be registered in the infectious department and undergo regular medical examinations.

Can there be complications?

In most cases, the provision of adequate treatment on time helps to quickly get rid of this disease.But there are some complications that paired listeriosis.What it is?

For a start it is worth noting that complications are most likely exposed to newborn babies and people with severely compromised immune systems.During pregnancy, maternal infection and the body, respectively, the fetus can result in fading of the fetus, stillbirth, fetal defects appearance some development etc.If the child was infected during childbirth, in the first days of the child's body may experience complications such as purulent meningitis, a violation of the respiratory and circulatory systems.Listeria can cause a severe form of pneumonia, which often ends lethal for the baby.

pretty poorly tolerated nervous form of the disease.The child has such kind of disease can cause damage to the central nervous system, which, accordingly, entail complications such as mental retardation, epilepsy, paralysis.

In adults, the most common consequences include endocarditis and hepatitis.But even in adulthood nervous form of listeriosis at otsustvii treatment ends lethally in 45 - 70% of cases.That is why in any case, do not ignore the symptoms or self-medicate.

Recommended prevention

Unfortunately, to date there is no cure that can permanently protect people from the disease called listeriosis.Prevention in this case is complicated by the fact that the bacterium is very resistant to the external environment and can enter the human body in different ways.

That is why the only really effective way of protection is to carefully follow all health and safety and animal health recommendations.On farms and in farms engaged in growing animals need to regularly inspect the animals and, if necessary, provide them with quality care.As for personal protection, you should not forget about the proper handling of food - milk should be boiled, meat, sausages and other meat products carefully roast thoroughly.

person diagnosed with the disease should be treated in a hospital, so as not to become a source of infection to others.Extract is possible only if the test results confirmed the full recovery and the absence of bacteria causative organism.